Proofing-machine.



G. J. HICKS.

PROOPING MACHINE.

' APPLICATION rILED APR.1G,1912 1,127,000, Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

. Hozumj c) G. J. HICKS.

PROOFING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.16.1912.

1,127,000. Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

3 SHBETS'SHBET 2.

ol indivi piecesof doughythesc buckets beingy so con- '-UNiran sfra'ras rafranr carica.

GEORGE J. HICKS. 0F SAGINAW, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR '1'.'0 RICHARD 8c OTTO WERNER,

' OF CANNSTATT, GERMANY.

PROOFING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

l-atented Feb. 2, 1915.

Appimation filed Aprii 1e. 1912. serial No. 691,210.

Tn el? iii/wm 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE J. Hicks, citizen of the United States, and resident oi Saginaw, yin the county ot' Saginaw and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Proofing- Machines. ot which the following is a specification.

. This inventioi'i relates particularly to dough-proofing machines for use in the treatment of dough for making bread, etc.

ln the making of bread by machinery itis customary after the ingredients have been mixed'and the dough properly kneaded. to deliver it from a dough-trough to a doughdivider in which the mass of dough is divided into pieces of proper size for making the loa ves.- From the dough-divider these pieces are delivered to a rounding-up machine in which the cut cells of the dough are closed .up and which 'serves to shapeeach piece of dough to a certain extent. From the rounding-up machine it is customary to deliver these pieces of dough to some proofing de- -vice for the purpose of giving the dough an opportunitv to expand while substantially' at rest.

Many ditfercnttypes of devices for proofing dough that has been worked to such an extentas to retard the action of the yeast have/been employed. One type ot machine. suit-able for the purpose of 'permitting the proper expansion and proofing oie individual pieces of dough is shown in my prior application Serial No. 527.609, filed Novemharia, i909.

The principal object of my present invention is to provide an improved type ot' dough-proofing machine in which the divided and rounded-up pieces of dough may be more thoroughly and uniformly proofed than in apparatus ot' this kind 'heretofore constructed. in which each piece of dough will he maintained throughout its travel in the apparat-iis substantially in the form it haswhen received, and from which each piece may be readily delivered at any deircd point and to any suitable means. usually a dough-molding machine. t'or further treatment ot the. dough.

(liie'oi the principal features that distingiiislics my presentinvention from other doiigli-i'irooli-ng machines is the employment 'dual doughbuckets for individual structed and made of such material as to prevent the chilling ot' the dough during its travel through the. apparatus and also serving to prevent sticking ot' the dough to the buckets.

A further important feature of the invention is the employment of' means continuously movable at a substantially uniform rate ol speed for -feeding the pieces of dough, conveying them through the doughprool'ing machine and delivering them to a suitable apparatus. such for example, as a dough-molding machine. without interruption of the regular and uniform travel of tlic dough-conveying elements.

Other features of the invention .not hereinbefore referred to will be hereinafter described and claimed and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a dough -pi'oofing machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail in side elevation of a portion of the dough-conveyer of the machine in operative relation with means for dumping the bucketsof the conveyer; Fig. 3 is an .end elevation of the same; Fig.Y l is a. substantially central longit'ziidinal section of one of the buckets and its` carrier shown on a. still largei' scale; Fig. 5 isa plan oi the saine. and Fig. 6 is a side ele ration illustrating a. portion of .a doughproofing machine ha ving a modified type'of means for controlling the discharge of the individual pieces oi Adough from the conveyer.

. Similar characters designate like parts in all the figures ot' the drawings.

One of the main features of a doughpioofing machine constructed in accordance with my present invention is a series of buckets cach adapted to contain a separate piece oi dough. and :ill mounted on sui-table means for carrying them for the predetermined lciigtli ol' time in a closed chamber for the pur-posi` ot pro ierly proofing the dough. ln connection with this means suitablc. means will also usually be employed for automatically feeding charges ot' dough to the individual buckets of the series. and other means will also preferably bceinployed lor automatically discharging the charges ot' dough from the buckets aforesaid a ttcitlicse chargeshave been properly proofed.l i

'lhe lproofing chamber within ywhich thev charges of doughl are'mov'ed by the means just described is formed by a suitable casing, such` for example, as that indicated at` l., which in the present instance surrounds movement of the conveying means. :Prefconstruction illustrated there is a series oflsprocket-Wheels of varlous diameters, accord.

erably the means mnployedforcarrying the pieces ofdough in their course through the chamber 1 is an endless conveyer which ma y.be formed by any suitable meansbut pre erablyl by a pailof sprocket-chains, such as 3, moiuited to travelbn any suitable sup-- proper, designated generally'by 23,'arid a bucket-carrier, designated generally by 24. This bucket-carrier," as show-n', 1s ant-annular# 'metallic' member and has at its opposite .sides trlunnions for pivotally connecting 1t 70 withythebpposite sprocket-chains 3 of the ports and in' any desi-red manner. ,In the.,

ing to the work to be done by them, which support these v sprocket-chains substantially throughout their length.` At each of the points at which the sprocket-chains make a turn to change their course large sprocketu'heels, such as 1, 5, 67, 8 and 9, are shown;

while at intermediate points :Where thev sprocket-wheels servemainly to support the,

load smaller sprocket-wheels,4 such as lO, ll, 12,y 13, 14,'15, 16, 17,:1,8,`19, v2O, 21 and22,

are. llustrated.l Ofi course the Anumber ofl devices over or 'around which the conveyer passes is immaterial'except that they should be; sufficient for thepurpose of properly supi porting. the; conveyer and controlling its movements.

pieces of dough is illustrated in detail in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive. Inthese it Will be seen that the vconveyerconsists substantially of two sprocket-chains traveling ony the supports or sprocket-wheels .before referred to and supporting at. intervals dough-buckets adapted to receivev individual pieces of dough at successive points in the continuous travel of the conveyer. Here each dough-bucket is preferably supported on the conveyor-in such a manner as 'to be capable of'` movement .not only therewith-but. relatively thereto, this movement being inthe present construction about a pivot on Whicheach bucket tilts'or turns 4to discharge the piece` of 'dough` contained therein.

Each dough-bucket is preferably substantially of the type illustrated i-n detail in these figures. It comprises, inthe preferred construction, a bucket'fcarrier anda bucket proper attached tovthat carrier. Thebucket proper, Lhoweverisalso preferably detachablcfrom the bucket-carrier and made of av different material, vand one 4more suitabley for contact with dough; The dough-bucket 1s designated generally by b.' Its two ymain parte; as. lllustrated herein. are.. the.` :bucket that when `a piece of dough is droplped into conveyer. The trunnion connections between these`bucketcarriers and lthe chins 3 are designated.generallyb v 25. They may be any suitable for permitting tilting of the nections are such as ,to permit Acomplete, rostation of each bucket-anduts carrier, as so will be evident by referring particularly to Figs. 2and' 3. .Eachofthe .trunnion connections shown comprises a journal member,y secured tocone of the chains 3J and, a projecting-bearing@ the bucket-carrier intesa.; which bearing the Journalmember. extends.

the -fjourn'al being. preferably properly hushed-,to reduce wear-(Hc: The bucket `proper is vvin' each linstance made ofmaterial that isa poni-.conducto'r90,@l

of heat, it preferably being avtextile'fabric suche as canvas. Material ofthis kind has..` several'important advantages over. a xnetalfiI lic bucket. In-the first -place its tempera- Y' tu're iswneutral `andthe'piece -of dough'de# 95u11; livered intcrt is not. chilled -by contact with it. f In .the second place when the mate.g rial is such. a fabric as canvas it is-capable-fL of retaining lourwvithin the meshes of the' fabric' and-thus preventing stickingof the 100;4 dough tothe bucket.

The preferred construction of the 'con-y veyer and of the buckets for containing the.

Both of these' are matters of much importance in a machine of this class. The bucket made from such material as this is, when in its normal position,

substantially vin the form of a frustumof `V a cone, the base of vwhich constitutes the mouth -or receiving portion of the bucket. Whena-.piece of dough is dropped intoit while the bucket is properly supported, this bucket readily takes' the-shape substantially of a half sphere which is a good shape for handlin'giand also facilitates, the raising of the dough. It will be-obvious, of. course,

a. bucket ofthis kind it will quic ly take the shape just described and will retain that shape throughout its travel inthe proofing chamber. pieces of dough, being contained in-the'corresponding buckets, Will take the same shapeandall will be substantially uniform in shape and willbe acted on substantially uniformly throughout the .mass thereof throughout their travel in the proong ap paratus. For the purposebf holding thisL canvasbucket 23 in place Aon the, bucketcarrier 24 any suitable connecting or at` taching means may be employed. Preferably the bucket is detachably lconnected to the Icarrier*24, as, for. eXample-by means Of course all of the other vfas shown at one point in'Fig.

spring-pressed pin 35, adapted to enter one of several openings, 36, in the vertical portion of the trip device and holdit either elevated in the .path of the cam faces 28, etc., or lowered out'of the path 1. An important feature of the invention is thatthebuckets may be automatically discharged at any one of a plurality of differ-y ent points in the path of travel of the conveyer. This is illustrated in Fig. 1 where T have shown two trip devices of the type just described, one of which (that at the right) is in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and in such position coperates with the buckets successively for dumping or discharging them when they reach said trip device, while the other of said devices is shown as lowered to its inoperative position in which its vcam faces 29 do not cop- "erate with cam faces 28 of the buckets. '.lhus the buckets pass freely over and beyond the trip device 30 at the leftin Fig.

1 vand are not acted upou by it but are tiltedv and completely rotated about their axes one -`at a time as they reach the trip device 30 at the right in said view. This feature is one of importance as it 1s highly desirable in plants for handling dough automatically tol provide for the delivery of pieces ofdough fof different size or weight tov different molding machines at different times. Thus in one run of this dough-proofing machine onepound pieces of dough may be conveyed by the buckets and discharged therefrom at one i 'many different molding machines as desired.

At. 37 I have shown a discharge opening through the lower `wall of the casing, through which opening the pieces of dough may be delivered one at a time to a suitable moldin machine or other receiving means (not s own). located below said opening. This opening 'may be covered and uncovered b v 'means of a slide.l such as'38,whichin one of its positions uncovers the opening 37, as shown, and in the other of its positions closes.- said opening and uncovers a similar opening for the discharge of the dough b v the trip device 30 at the left in Fig. 1. l

Tt -will be evident from. the foregoing description of my improved dough-proofing machine for handlin individual pieces of dough in buckets, an for keeping them in constant and regular motion throughout theirtravel inthe dough-proofing chamber,

of saidv faces,

that when a conveyer of the endless belt or chain type, such as shown, is emplo ed" the dough-proofing machine lmay be rea ily adapted to the local conditions and requirements of any bakery, as the dough may be received by the buckets at any point on any licor of the .bakery discharged at any desired point on the same floor or on any other floor of thebakery, and in its travel may be conveyed from one point to another by a movement horizontally or vertically, or in any other proper path.

`liloreover, it will be clear that the length of the conveyer and the speed of operation thereof may be varied as desired to adjust the apparatus for any desired length of time that the pieces of a given batch of dough should be held inthe proofing chamber. In the construction illustrated in Fig. 1 the dough is delivered by a suitable feed device, such as 40, into the receiving open-v ing, such as 111, of the dough-proofing chambcr 1 and individual pieces are delivered and conveyed to and one at a time into-the buckets '23.- Itwill be understood that the speed of travel of these buckets and the movement of the feed device l0 should be so related that the feed device will deliverv the pieces of 4clougl'i f successively to said buckets in proper timing as said buckets come into the proper position, adjacent tothe opening 41, for re-v ceiving the dough.

InFig. 6 I have illustrated a modification of the invention in which the conveyer and the buckets carried thereby are the same' as those shown in the other views, but the means employed for controlling the vdischarge of the pieces of dough from the y buckets diii'ers considerably fromlthat` before described. 1n this view the localized tripping means, which may be of any'suitablel construction, yand is shown as similar to` that before described` is Xed, as illustrated at 30. and .the conveyer with its buckets is so mounted as to be movable as a whole at a point adjacent to the tripping,

means into and out of operative relation with said means. is clearly illustrated by the dotted and full lines vof the conveyer and'its buckets, the

This relative movementy full lines illustrating the path of travel of l the conveyer When the buckets are to be discharged by the tripping meansBO While the dotted lines show the course taken by the conveyer and its buckets in and near the zone of discharge when the buckets are not to be dumped in said zone. The shifting of the conveyer and its buckets bodily out of operative relation with the tripping means 30 may be effected by any suitable mechanism (not shown) for elevatingithe supporting sprocket-Wheels 10 and 11 over which the sprocket-chains pass adjacent to the tripping means 30. This, of course, is merely another of many means that may be employed for bringing traveling-and local ized tripping elements into or out of operative relation for the purpose lof controlling the dischargel of the pieces of dough at any given point or points in their travel through the proong chamber.

What I claim is:

l; In a machine of the character described a-nd in combination, a traveling conveyer having a pair of parallel chains, an annular bucket-carrier having trunnions pivotally supported on the chains of said conveyer, and a bucket detachably secured to said bucket-carrier.

2. In a machine of the character described and in combination, a traveling convever having a pair of parallel chains, an annular bucket carrier having trunnions pivotally supported on the chains of said conveyer, and a flexible bucket detachably secured to said bucket carrier.

3. In a machine of the character described and in combination, a traveling con- Q veyer having a pair of parallel chains, an

annular bucket carrier having trunnions pivotally supported on the chains of said, conveyer, ay lexible bucket secured to said bucket carrier, and means to tilt said bucket carrier to discharge the contents of the bucket.

l. In a niachine ol" the class described, the combination ot conveying means, a tiltable bucket carrier pivotally suported from said conveying means, and a eXible bucket supported by said carrier.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination of conveying means, a tiltable bucket carrier pivotally supported from said conveying means, a flexible bucket support` ed by said carrier, and means to tilt said carrier to discharge the contents of the bucket.

Signed at Saginaw, in the county of Saginaw and State of Michigan, this 9th day of April, A. D. 1912.

GEORGE J. HICKS.

Witnesses:

G. A. Hisssnooun, 0. E. I'IUrARL. 

